Recently on Channel 7’s Sunrise program we discussed the latest round of the most complained about TV commercials. The segment discusses commercials that got banned, Sportsbet and iSelect, to the Itune commercials that always seem to push the boundaries, but had their complaints dismissed.

Once again it raises the question, is the controversy an effective tactic for a brand. It all comes down to relevance. While the controversy may achieve increased exposure (shares, clicks etc), does it impact the brand positively or negatively?

Despite being banned, the sportsbet ads are spot on with their demographic, as opposed to the iSelect commercial which perhaps had the sentiment right but the execution could be damaging for the brand.